UPDATED 7:39 PM: Two scenes, one incident, working right now. We’re at lower Spokane St. at East Marginal, where a motorcycle rider apparently fell to the surface, off the bridge, where the motorcycle was found:

The rider is reported by SFD to have “critical” injuries.

Police are on the high rise bridge and here at Spokane/Marginal. They’re also, according to the scanner, closing the southbound 99 offramp to the westbound bridge so they can figure out “where the point of impact” was. Spokane/East Marginal is closed all ways. Be aware, if you’re trying to get to/from Harbor Island, that besides this incident, the weekend-long construction-project closures have resulted in detours.

7:51 PM UPDATE: We’re still at Spokane/Marginal. Traffic is being allowed northbound on East Marginal, but surface Spokane St. is closed west of East Marginal.

That and the southbound 99 ramp to the westbound bridge – which is right over the scene where the rider was found (photo above) – will both be investigation scenes for the Traffic Collision Investigation Squad and will be closed TFN.

8:32 PM: To get back to West Seattle, we took the westbound bridge from the 1st Avenue South ramp, and saw two SPD cars on the left shoulder of the bridge before the high rise, with the injured rider’s motorcycle still on the ground. SPD is describing this as a “single-vehicle collision,” so far, but the investigation is continuing. No further information on the rider yet.

9:58 PM: So far as we know, both closures are still in effect. If we don’t hear anything official by 10:30, we’ll go check. Meantime, we have added some photos above.

11:25 PM: Live, albeit blurry, video via the SDOT Travelers’ Map, for 99/Lander, shows the offramp to the West Seattle Bridge is still closed.

11:29 PM: And moments later … per scanner, confirmed by that video feed, police have JUST reopened the ramp. Their investigation continues on the roadway below.

ADDED SUNDAY, MIDDAY: In comment discussion below, family members say the rider has died. SPD hasn’t yet released any additional information.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON: The rider’s family tells us his name was Ryan, and he was 41 years old.

(Traffic-cam view of crash scene)

3:44 PM: Thanks to the texter who just let us know about this – 911 shows a fire dispatch as of a few minutes ago too: There’s a crash on the eastbound West Seattle Bridge, “over Avalon” as the texter described it. They say it’s affecting traffic both ways because the crash “took out a median.” So if you’re heading east sometime soon – getting onto the bridge from Delridge might be a better bet.

3:54 PM: Added a traffic-cam view of the crash scene, above.

4:12 PM: Traffic is still getting by, one lane each way. We’ve added a street-level view sent by Mark.

5:05 PM: Texters say traffic was stopped for about 15 minutes but is now moving again.

5:14 PM: Especially in the eastbound direction, we highly recommend avoiding this section of the bridge until it’s completely clear. It appears the wrecked car is on the tow truck now but it might still be stop-and-go until it’s gone and repairs are completed. Here’s the live camera image.

5:19 PM: The scene has JUST cleared after an hour and a half.

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)

6:39 AM: Good morning! One incident reported on an outbound route right now – at 4th and Lander in SODO, a crash is blocking one northbound lane.

WEEKEND REMINDER – LIMITED ACCESS TO HARBOR ISLAND: Ramps to Harbor Island will be closed this weekend because of railroad-crossing work – here again are the details.

WEEKEND LANE CLOSURES ON EB I-90, SB I-5: Road work will affect traffic on eastbound I-90 just east of I-5, and southbound I-5 in South King County – read the alerts if your weekend plans will take you onto either of those freeways.

WEEKEND EVENTS, CITYWIDE: Here’s the weekly SDOT look at major potentially traffic-affecting events, including Sunday’s Seahawks home game.

7:02 AM: SDOT says the 4th Avenue crash has cleared. But now there’s a northbound I-5 problem on this side of downtown – WSDOT says the right lane is partly blocked by a crash “just south of” Seneca. (Added a few minutes later – WSDOT now says there are TWO crashes in that same area.)

7:12 AM: Both NB I-5 crashes are now cleared, WSDOT now reports.

8:53 AM: It’s been incident-free since then, at least in our general area, but here’s a traffic note: We’re on the high bridge right now, on the way to an interview off-peninsula, and the bridge is stop-and-go … more stop than go.

9:01 AM: Two other notes – we’ve received multiple reports of a water problem on California SW by West Seattle High School – checking with Seattle Public Utilities to see what they know. Also, if you are headed for surface Spokane St. in SODO, there’s a fire-alarm call with multiple SFD units at an address that checks to just west of 1st Avenue South.

9:23 AM: We might have a separate story about it later, but for now, we’ve confirmed that SPU is aware of the break – it’s a “service line,” not an actual main line – and will have a repair crew out later.

9:42 AM: Our photographer reports the crew is actually there now. This is on California SW near the south entrance to WSHS:

Thanks again for the tips – there’s no outgoing center of information about SPU problems, unlike Seattle City Light, which has an outage map, so we appreciate tips when you see something happening. (As with crime, report it to the authorities first, then let us know – 206-293-6302 text or voice if it’s happening now!)

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)

6:34 AM: Good morning! For Seattle Public Schools, it’s the second day of classes, so we will remind you one more time that schedules have changed, with most elementaries starting at 7:55 am – the full list of local start times is here.

EARLY-MORNING FERRY TROUBLE: Some cancellations on the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth early this morning because of “necessary repairs.” WSF says the Cathlamet will be back in service with the 6:40 am sailing from Vashon, but keep an eye on their site.

WEEKEND REMINDER: Ramps to Harbor Island will be closed this weekend because of railroad-crossing work, as announced earlier this week.

7:31 AM: Tweeted/texted 20+ minutes after the fact:

8:26 AM: Some trouble out there. Texter says Admiral is backed up. We’re not seeing any obvious reasons – no crashes on 911 log or in Seattle DOT Twitter feed (which often includes crashes that don’t make the 911 log because SFD isn’t called out) – but maybe it’s related to the Avalon clog shown in this tweet:

8:37 AM: Texter says police have been out by the new Genesee Hill Elementary this morning with what appears to be a speed-emphasis patrol. Two cruisers and a “radar gun,” the text noted.

9 AM: SFD log reports a crash response at 35th and Avalon. The SDOT camera doesn’t show anything blocking.

9:14 AM: That response is now “closed.” And via comments and e-mail, there’s word of a problem on eastbound Alaska at Fauntleroy. The e-mail says it appears something from The Whittaker construction site has fallen onto a car. We’ll be going over to look soon as we can.

9:38 AM: Everything is clear at Alaska/Fauntleroy, our photographer reports. Thanks again to everyone for reports/comments about incidents this morning – we and our usual information channels seem to have been at least a step behind, and firsthand reports (again, as long as you’re not the driver!) make a major difference.

3:52 PM: One other Metro cancellation texted/tweeted today after the fact:

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)

6:22 AM: It’s the big day – back to school for Seattle Public Schools and most of the independent schools that hadn’t yet started. First, a Metro cancellation just in:

Remember that SPS had some big schedule changes for this year, including most elementaries moving to a 7:55 am start. We list all the local schedules here.

7:22 AM: Metro also has canceled the 7:43 am run of Route 113.

Heads-up from SDOT:

The off-ramps to Harbor Island from westbound West Seattle Bridge and from southbound SR99 will be closed this coming weekend beginning Friday evening, September 9, at 7 p.m. The off-ramps will be reopened Monday morning, September 12, by 5 a.m. The closures are needed in order for the replacement of three railroad crossings at the south end of Harbor Island.

• Motorists who are not in large trucks/commercial vehicles can detour by taking the high level West Seattle Bridge, using the Delridge Way exit, then taking the right onto Chelan Ave SW, another right onto SW Spokane St, and eastbound across the Duwamish River’s West Waterway and back onto Harbor Island.

• Large trucks and commercial vehicles can take “official signed” detour route because it is primarily intended for large trucks that unable to use the detour described above. The signed will direct motorists to go south on East Marginal Way S, across the First Ave S Bridge. They will be directed to take the first exit after the bridge, looping them back onto northbound 2nd Ave S, and onto W Marginal Way SW. After passing underneath the West Seattle Bridge, they will be directed to take a left turn onto SW Spokane St, which will take them eastbound back across the Duwamish River’s West Waterway and onto Harbor Island.

The railroad crossing work is part of the SDOT project currently repaving SW Spokane St from SW Klickitat Way to East Marginal Way S.

A map detailing this weekend’s detours is here.

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)

6:57 AM: Good morning and welcome to a rainy post-holiday Tuesday. No incidents in/from West Seattle thus far.

BACK TO SCHOOL: More students return today – the Vashon Island School District, which has more than a few West Seattle students, is starting classes. But tomorrow’s the big day for Seattle Public Schools and the independent schools that follow the same calendar.

7:05 AM: Sound Transit just sent an alert that some of its buses, including West Seattle-serving Route 560, “are experiencing delays of up to 25 minutes due to heavy traffic and road conditions (rain) this morning.”

WEST SEATTLE CANCELLATION: This came in just ahead of that and we almost missed it until the mention in comments, but, for the record:

Metro has tweeted four other cancellations this morning, but this is the only one in West Seattle so far.

ROAD-WORK REMINDER: The Spokane Street repaving project east of the low bridge enters its second month this week and is expected to last two more months. This week’s plan is here.

8:34 AM: If you’re headed toward the high bridge from the Fauntleroy end, beware:

8:48 AM: And if you happen to be heading southbound on the Alaskan Way Viaduct, there’s a lane-blocking crash near the Columbia on-ramp, per WSDOT.

8:56 AM: SDOT says that incident has cleared.

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)

7:22 AM: After-the-fact bus cancellation tweet/text just sent by Metro:

LABOR DAY REMINDERS: Metro, the West Seattle Water Taxi, and Washington State Ferries’ Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route are all on Sunday schedules for the Monday Labor Day holiday.

1:21 AM: If you’re heading out on this rainy early morning – the one route you are NOT going to want to take is the eastbound West Seattle Bridge to southbound I-5. In the past hour or so, we’ve been monitoring scanner traffic about two crashes – currently, one that is reported to involve a jack-knifed semi-truck, blocking all lanes of SB I-5 just south of the WS Bridge. No major injuries reported in either one so far, and we don’t have full details, but we’ve heard enough to publish this alert.

2:04 AM: Some lanes of SB I-5 have reopened, per WSDOT, but the ramp from the EB WS Bridge is still blocked.

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)

6:30 AM: Good morning. Power has been restored to everyone affected by the overnight outage, so that shouldn’t be affecting travel this morning. No incidents reported in the area right now. If you travel through West Marginal Way/Highland Park Way, today is the second scheduled day of the repaving project.

BACK-TO-SCHOOL REMINDERS: Today is the first day of classes at Hope Lutheran School (42nd/Oregon), a short distance south of the two other West Seattle schools that are already back in session, Holy Rosary and Seattle Lutheran. Tomorrow (Thursday) is the first day for Our Lady of Guadalupe. Our full list of the “early” wave of school reopenings is here. … Seattle Public Schools start classes in exactly one week; you’ll see school buses out again today practicing routes.

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)

6:52 AM: Thanks for the text – a crash on West Marginal Way at Dakota (map) is affecting traffic. Here’s what SDOT tweeted:

No major injuries so far as we know – the crash drew a one-engine SFD response.

FURTHER SOUTH ON W. MARGINAL WAY: In case you missed the alert last night, paving work is scheduled for a stretch of Highland Park Way today and tomorrow, at W. Marginal.

7:37 AM: Update from SDOT: “Both NB lanes and one SB lane are now open at W Marginal Way SW & SW Dakota St.”

FAUNTLEROY/ENDOLYNE TRIANGLE WORK DONE: If you haven’t been through the Fauntleroy/Endolyne business area in a few days, we checked on Monday and the traffic-calming work that started last week is done:

Our photo shows the major change – the block of Brace Point Drive between 45th and Wildwood is now one way eastbound, with angle parking and painted “curb bulbs” (the biggest is just out of our shot, to the right).

7:47 AM: SDOT just tweeted that the West Marginal/Dakota crash scene is completely clear.

BACK TO SCHOOL: Reminder that it’s already back-to-school season … on the north end of The Junction, Seattle Lutheran High School and Holy Rosary School are already back in session; Hope Lutheran School (42nd/Oregon) starts tomorrow. Here’s our list of the “early” starters; the first day for Seattle Public Schools is one week from tomorrow – Wednesday, September 7th – and remember the schedule changes for many schools, as listed here on Monday.

8:57 AM: One more back-to-school reminder – school buses are out practicing their routes starting today.

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)

7:02 AM: Good morning – no incidents reported in/from West Seattle so far.

BACK TO SCHOOL: Holy Rosary (4142 42nd SW) starts today, and it’s the first full week for Seattle Lutheran High School (4100 SW Genesee), which started last Friday. Here’s our weekend report on this week’s other starts.

SCHOOL BUS DRIVER PREPS: Thanks to Al for the tip – starting tomorrow, bus drivers for Seattle Public Schools will be out practicing their routes.

ROAD WORK REMINDER: As previewed last night, the Spokane Street paving/safety project – mostly east of the low bridge – continues this week, and includes ongoing bicycle/pedestrian-path detours.

8:25 AM: Couple of Seattle Fire responses on arterials right now – might or might not affect your commute, but we’ll mention them anyway: There’s a medical response at Delridge/Thistle, and a “bark fire” response in the 6500 block of 35th SW, which would be south of Morgan. Each has just one engine assigned, so not major.

8:47 AM: Just got a text about a crash on the eastbound West Seattle Bridge near the 4th Avenue exit – but SDOT says via Twitter that it’s already cleared. No injuries, apparently, as SFD was not dispatched – no callout on the 911 log.

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)

6:43 AM: Good morning. We start with a transit cancellation – Metro just announced Route 57 leaving The Junction at 7:06 am is off:

It’s one of three cancellations Metro has texted/tweeted this morning so far, first one in West Seattle.

6:51 AM: Reminders for today and the weekend:

Road-work projects continuing – Fauntleroy/Endolyne Triangle and lower Spokane Street east of the low bridge.

Weekend road closure in West Seattle – Alki/Harbor closes for the Alki Beach 5K, which starts at 9 am Sunday.

Weekend lane closures for Aurora Bridge inspections:

Saturday, Aug. 27 – Two northbound lanes across the Aurora Bridge will be closed from 6 to 11 a.m. One northbound lane will remain open to traffic. All southbound lanes will be open.

Sunday, Aug. 28 – Two southbound lanes across the Aurora Bridge will be closed from 6 to 11 a.m. One southbound lane will remain open to traffic. All northbound lanes will be open.

Also: Two weekend paving projects in Tacoma will reduce lanes – on I-5, and on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge – which could also have an effect on the Fauntleroy-Southworth ferry runs, WSDOT warns. Here’s the full alert.

6:57 AM: Another cancellation just texted/tweeted:

Metro says it’s a hiring issue – as explained in our traffic/transit coverage yesterday.

7:10 AM: And now, a text/tweet announcement that the previously mentioned cancellation has been canceled – so the run is back ON:

7:28 AM: Ten minutes warning for this one:

8:59 AM: We’ve been covering the Triangle gas leak separately; the response should be winding down now.

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)

6:41 AM: Just checked around, and it’s incident-free again in/from West Seattle, on this last Thursday in August.

ROAD-WORK REMINDERS: Fauntleroy/Endolyne Triangle, plus lower Spokane Street east of the low bridge.

STADIUM ZONE TONIGHT: Seahawks are home vs. Dallas, 7 pm.

WEEKEND AHEAD: Alki/Harbor road closure for Alki Beach 5K at 9 am Sunday; no road closures but the north end of South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) will be busy for the West Seattle Car Show 10 am-3 pm Saturday (20+ trophy categories, and same-day signups starting at 8).

7:47 AM – TRANSIT CANCELLATION: Just announced, after-the-fact, via Twitter and text:

7:58 AM: And that was followed by this:

We did, by the way, get Metro’s response to our inquiry about last week’s cancellations. From spokesperson Scott Gutierrez:

Every effort is made to avoid having to cancel service — up until the moment a bus is scheduled to start its trip. We regret when any service is canceled, and we appreciate our customers’ patience.

Metro continues to ramp up hiring and training of new bus drivers. Right now we have a new class of trainees starting every two weeks, and each class is at or close to capacity (24 trainees). Through the fall, we hope to see significant reductions in cancellations as we continue toward our hiring goals.

While we have added service and are hiring more drivers to fulfill that service, we’ve also seen higher-than-expected attrition this year due to retirements. A strong local economy has made hiring very competitive. And the training process for new drivers takes about 5 weeks. To help meet service needs, we actively deploy standby operators when available and assign drivers who have completed trips.

Metro also is investing a great deal of effort into training our drivers to ensure they provide the best possible service. Anyone interested in applying to become a Metro bus driver can find information on our website – Or email josh.isgur@kingcounty.gov.

8:02 AM: And still on that topic, this was texted/tweeted a moment ago:

ADDED 9:13 AM: One more note – via e-mail, from WSDOT, in case you’re planning to drive 99 north of downtown this weekend:

Washington State Department of Transportation bridge maintenance crews will close two lanes of traffic to conduct a routine inspection of the (Aurora Bridge) on both Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Closure details

· Saturday, Aug. 27 – Two northbound lanes across the Aurora Bridge will be closed from 6 to 11 a.m. One northbound lane will remain open to traffic. All southbound lanes will be open.

· Sunday, Aug. 28 – Two southbound lanes across the Aurora Bridge will be closed from 6 to 11 a.m. One southbound lane will remain open to traffic. All northbound lanes will be open.

11 AM: Went down to check on the Fauntleroy/Endolyne work. The painted curb bulb – color chosen in community discussions – is now drying at Brace Point/Wildwood:

Work was expected to take about a week so should be done by early next week.

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)

7:11 AM: Good morning – no incidents in the area so far. Reminders:

FAUNTLEROY/ENDOLYNE TRIANGLE WORK: SDOT’s work here is under way, albeit a couple weeks later than expected. This includes closure of a block of Brace Point Drive while it’s converted to one way, eastbound.

IN THE STADIUM ZONE: Mariners are home vs. the Yankees today at 12:40 pm, and the Seahawks host Dallas at 7 pm tomorrow.

ALKI BEACH 5K ON SUNDAY: Sunday at 9 am, it’s this year’s Alki Beach 5K, to help Northwest Hope and Healing, closing Alki SW and part of Harbor SW for a few hours.

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)

6:43 AM: Happy Tuesday morning! Another look at this week’s reminders, first:

SURFACE SPOKANE ST. PROJECT: Here’s this week’s update, including a bike-trail detour, for this project east of the low bridge.

IN THE STADIUM ZONE Mariners are home vs. the Yankees again tonight at 7:10 pm, Wednesday at 12:40 pm, and the Seahawks host Dallas at 7 pm Thursday.

ALKI BEACH 5K ON SUNDAY: Sunday at 9 am, it’s this year’s Alki Beach 5K, to help Northwest Hope and Healing, is next Sunday (August 28th), 9 am, closing Alki SW and part of Harbor SW for a few hours that morning. (Want to run or walk in it? Sign up here.)

Back to today … no incidents in West Seattle or on the major outbound routes (NB 99, NB 5) so far.

7:47 AM: A couple weeks later than previously announced, the Fauntleroy/Endolyne Triangle work is getting under way – we just went by and noticed ROAD CLOSED signage for the block of Brace Point Drive that will become one way, eastbound:

Details are in our most-recent report, from early August.

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)

6:30 AM: Good morning and welcome to Monday. We start with a few notes for the rest of the day and the week ahead:

SURFACE SPOKANE ST. PROJECT: Here’s the latest update as this project continues east of the low bridge.

STADIUM ZONE, THIS WEEK: Mariners are home vs. the Yankees tonight and Tuesday at 7:10 pm, Wednesday at 12:40 pm … Seahawks have a preseason home game Thursday vs. Dallas, 7 pm …

ALKI BEACH 5K NEXT SUNDAY: Early reminder that the Alki Beach 5K, raising $ for Northwest Hope and Healing, is next Sunday (August 28th), 9 am, and that means Alki SW and part of Harbor SW will be closed for a few hours that morning. (Not registered yet? Go here!)

The surface Spokane Street work east of the low bridge continues tomorrow, and the contractor has sent an extra alert beyond what was in the city’s latest update:

We want to make you aware that the contractor intends to bump up their schedule a bit and start work on the storm drain connection at the driveway to Harley Marine [map] on Monday.

Access to the parking lot will of course be maintained but a few spots for parking on the western half of the lot may be lost during construction. After drainage work is complete they will begin work on the elevated pedestrian crossing through the driveway. They will construct the west half of the crossing and open it to traffic before moving on to the east half. Maintaining an approximately 24ft wide driveway to accommodate two-way traffic during each phase.

The contractor will try and leave the existing bike/ped crossing through the driveway open for as long as possible but eventually (Monday afternoon or more likely Tuesday) this work will require a temporary rerouting of the bike path. The detour will be through the parking lot on the back side of construction activities and will use temporary asphalt ramps to connect back to the trail. The detour will be in effect until the new elevated pedestrian/bike crossing is completed and is anticipated to last approximately 1-2 weeks.

Other project notes for the week ahead, and a detailed map, are in this flyer.

ORIGINAL REPORT, 7:59 PM: Thanks for the tips – just got a call and a text about this, though it apparently happened an hour ago, according to the Seattle Fire 911 log: A crash is blocking southbound Beach Drive in the 5400 block (map). People headed that way are being turned around at Shore Place, according to the texter. The 911 log shows a low-level one-engine callout to the crash at 6:50 pm, and it’s long since closed, so apparently no serious injuries, but there are no outlets in that area, so it doesn’t take much to block traffic. The texter says northbound traffic is being allowed through.

8:35 PM UPDATE: As noted in a comment, and as we just discovered firsthand, the scene is now clear.

No major injuries reported but if you are heading out, you should know a crash involving at least two vehicles is blocking westbound Roxbury east of 26th. SPD, SFD, and KCSO were on scene when we went by.

4:28 PM: Thanks for the tips. One lane is still blocked on southbound Highway 99 near Atlantic, and that’s making the sluggish-at-best homeward commute worse than usual right now. A police car is behind the blocking vehicle, no tow truck in sight so far. If you have a desktop/laptop/landscape-view tablet and want to check before you go, the city’s Travelers Info Map has live video if you choose downtown and then Alaskan Way/Atlantic.

4:58 PM: Still no tow truck, and that area is still down to one lane as a result.

5:03 PM: Good news – the live video feed shows the tow truck just arrived.

5:20 PM: The tow truck has JUST left with the car, and the highway is back to 2 lanes at that spot.